


Tomorrow

by Tessa_Harrison



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Friendship, Gen, before kantou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 15:52:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5934075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tessa_Harrison/pseuds/Tessa_Harrison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the days before the Kantou finals, all Yukimura is able to do is wait.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Written a while back for 8-bit-git in the Tenipuri Summer Exchange on tumblr

“Beep. Beep. Beep.”

“Bored?”

Yukimura looked at the doorway. He tried to smile at Yanagi who stood there with a small bag in his hand. The effort was exhausting, far more than Yukimura cared to admit even to himself.

“You have no idea.”

He was lucky that it was Yanagi who had caught this moment of mind numbing boredom. If it were Niou, Yukimura knew he’d be subjected to endless teasing. Kirihara would probably join in. The thought was almost enough to get him to laugh. And Sanada…he’d worry. Worry that Yukimura was in pain (not a problem thanks to the lovely medication the machine next to his bed kept supplying him) or that there was something else wrong or any other number of things. He wouldn’t say any of them but Yukimura knew Sanada would think them. Yanagi was good. He’d take the moment for what it was, a glimpse into the boredom Yukimura was lucky enough to experience.

“What’s in the bag?” Yukimura asked as Yanagi walked over.

“No Sanada?” Yanagi responded, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. It was a particularly unsubtle attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“He left a little bit ago,” Yukimura replied. He kept his eyes on the bag. “Something for me?”

He wanted to wince at the eager tone in his voice. He really needed to get out, to do something. Luckily for him, Yanagi sat it on the bed within Yukimura’s reach.

“I hadn’t thought he’d leave so soon.”

Yukimura pulled the bag closer and looked inside. A grin lit across his face. “You shouldn’t have,” he said as he pulled the new sketchbook out of it.

Yanagi shook his head. “You’re losing your mind in here.”

“Yes.”

If Yukimura didn’t know better, he’d have thought Yanagi was surprised at the frankness of the answer. “I do feel like I am at times,” Yukimura added. “You would be surprised at just how little there is to do when you’re confined to bed and constantly having medications pumped into your system.”

“I can make a decent guess.” Yanagi smiled a little. “You haven’t left much to the imagination.”

A clacking noise came from the hallway and they both looked. A nurse was in the doorway. She smiled at them. “Is everything okay?”

Yukimura nodded. “Just visiting with my friend.”

Her smile grew. “It’s so great that you’re so popular. You always have visitors.” She looked at Yanagi and then back at Yukimura. “Will I need to send to security to make sure this friend leaves when visiting hours are over?”

Amusement lit up Yanagi’s face as Yukimura shook his head. “He’ll be no trouble,” Yukimura assured. “Thank you for your concern though.”

She gave a little nod and started off down the hallway, no doubt checking in on another patient. Yanagi cleared his throat.

“Security?”

“Security.”

Yukimura shifted to get into a more comfortable position. Just the image of Sanada towering over the man who’d been called in by the nurse was enough to make him chuckle. “It was a couple of weeks ago,” he explained. “Niou.”

Yanagi nodded, understanding what Yukimura was referring to. From what Yukimura had managed to put together, Niou had been particularly bad that day. He’d been in a funk thanks to something and had spread it to everyone. Sanada, as acting team captain, had ended up dealing with the brunt of the stress. “After practice, he came to visit me and wouldn’t leave.”

“If memory serves.” Yukimura shot Yanagi a look. They both knew the data player’s memory was perfectly fine. Yanagi ignored the look, starting over with, “if memory serves, that was the day the high school golf team tried to tempt Yagyuu.”

“Has he even said which school he’s planning on attending next year?” Yukimura hadn’t heard anything but it seemed early for high school teams to come recruiting. He certainly hadn’t had any high school recruiters visiting him to try and get him to join their tennis teams.

_Of course no one’s tried to recruit you. Just look around and you would see the answer why._

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the dark whisper in the back of his head. This situation was temporary. Yes he was ill. Yes he was in the hospital. No he would not give in.

“Not officially.” Yanagi appeared to be oblivious to the darkness lurking in the back of Yukimura’s head. “Unofficially he’s considering the high school division.” That made sense. All of them would be stupid not to consider moving on to Rikkai’s high school. “He’s also looking at Keio SFC.”

Shit. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. It’s a long shot which is why he’s kept quiet about it.”

Yukimura couldn’t fault his player for that. That school was notoriously difficult to get into. Knowing Yagyuu was interested in it wasn’t a surprise. It probably should have been. Of all his regulars, Yukimura would even say that he knew the least about Yagyuu. It still wasn’t a surprise knowing that Yagyuu was aiming for such a prestigious high school.

“That’s why Niou’s been in a funk.”

It was a question but the way Yukimura had phrased it left no doubts that he didn’t mean for it to be taken as one. Yanagi nodded.

The click clacking noise came from the hallway again. A nurse, different from the one before, stopped in the doorway. She smiled but it was a tired, strained smile. “Visiting hours end in 10 minutes.”

Both teens glanced at the clock on the wall. It was purely reflexive as they both knew she had no reason to lie. She was right. Yanagi stood, stretching as he did so. He plucked the new sketchbook out of Yukimura’s hands, setting it on the table attached to the bed so that it was out of the way.

“Remind me to finish telling you about Sanada and security next time,” Yukimura said. He refused to say good-bye. It was something he just couldn’t bring himself to do while he was in this place. It was foolish. He knew that. He just couldn’t do it. If he said good-bye while he was stuck in this hospital…it just felt too final. Realistically he wasn’t going to die tonight or tomorrow or probably any time soon. The fear that if he said good-bye and it really would be good-bye wouldn’t leave his head.

Yanagi nodded. He was well aware of Yukimura’s habit. He’d never asked or commented about it for which Yukimura was grateful. Trying to explain his paranoia about the word would be difficult even to someone he was close with.

The room felt lonely and empty with Yanagi gone. Beyond the closed door, Yukimura could hear two nurses talking. He knew he could easily listen in if he concentrated. He didn’t. Instead he turned to lay on his side, back facing the table and lamp so that he could have a little peace.

Tomorrow. He’d let Sanada and Yanagi know tomorrow. He’d been holding off on telling anyone when the doctors had scheduled his surgery. The timing was terrible but at least those two needed to be prepared. He wasn’t worried about their chances. Rikkai were the kings and would win Kantou for the third year in a row. Besides, Yanagi had already told him that Hyotei had been knocked out which left Seigaku as the only real threat left. And their captain was gone, out due to an injury. That was always a hit to team morale.

_So what’s that say about Rikkai?_

Yukimura scowled. His team was fine. They had Sanada. At any other school with any other team, he’d have been the captain. They had Yanagi. He knew what to do to keep Sanada from losing it and he knew how to take care of everyone. The team had Yukimura. He was still around. Just…taking a short hiatus.

The surgery would go well. He’d regain his full mobility again. The dangers were just being blown out of proportion.

_Keep telling yourself that._

A soft creak from behind him told Yukimura that a nurse was checking in on him again. He hated the attention he received. He might not have been an adult but that didn’t mean he was a child either. Yukimura kept staring at the wall and was rewarded a few moments later when the door creaked again.

“Tomorrow,” he repeated to himself. No more being a coward. It was a promise to himself. He wasn’t going to break that promise. He couldn’t. Doing that would almost be as bad as not making it through surgery successfully.

It didn't make falling asleep any easier but it did make it possible.


End file.
